Supreme Court Upholds 3 Years Suspension of Advocate for Making Scandalous Allegations Against an Individual [Read Order]

In a recent order, the Supreme Court of India upheld the 3-year suspension of advocate Manoj Kumar Sharma for making scandalous allegations against Priyanka Bansal and directed that no leniency be shown in the matter.

The case arose from a statutory appeal filed by Manoj Kumar Sharma challenging the order dated 19 December 2023 passed by the Bar Council of India, which had held him guilty of professional misconduct and suspended him for three years from the roll of advocates maintained by the State Bar Council.

The appellant’s counsel argued that the punishment was too harsh and sought relief from the Supreme Court. The respondent’s counsel explained that the allegations were serious in nature and pointed out that such conduct was unbecoming of a member of the Bar.

The bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the appellant was obstinate in making scandalous allegations against the complainant and that such conduct amounted to serious misconduct. The court further observed that the case did not warrant any leniency.

The court dismissed the appeal with costs of one lakh rupees, directed the Collector of Agra to attach the appellant’s properties for recovery, and ordered that the amount be paid to Priyanka Bansal as compensation within three months.

The court also directed the Bar Council not to renew the appellant’s license without prior permission and required that a report be submitted to the Secretary General after the appellant serves the sentence already awarded.

The matter was disposed of with these directions.

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